China

China’s Communist Party has cleared the way for President Xi Jinping to stay in power indefinitely, by announcing Sunday that it intends to abolish term limits on the presidency, a momentous break with decades-old rules meant to prevent the country from returning to the days when Mao was shown cultish obedience.

The Chinese government intensified attempts to restrict foreign journalists’ access to parts of the country in 2017, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC) has said after conducting an annual survey of its members.

China’s development push into poor countries is marginalizing the role of human rights bodies, green groups and other non-profits, making it harder for them to play their traditional role as a check on rampant development, advocates said.

On a state visit to China this week, French President Emmanuel Macron got plaudits for giving his host a horse -- but also experienced the limits faced by Western leaders in dealing with the new superpower on the block.